Comparing Socrates 'Apology And The Allegory Of The Cave'

SOCRATES AND VOLTAIRE 2 How often are people confronted with varying attitudes about life and forced to decide what the most appropriate response is? Some believe it is better to die knowing your sought out the truth while others believe it is better to live ignorant and be happy. These are some of the conflictions faced by some of the great philosophers of the past such as Socrates and François-Marie Arouet, also known as Voltaire. We learn much about their philosophy on life reading many works of the past. For Socrates, we have the Apology and the Allegory of the Cave found in Plato’s Republic, Book VII. For Voltaire, we have the Story of a Good Brahmin. How did both men view pain and pleasure? How did they view happiness? Were they entirely similar or different? In this paper, I plan to answer each of these questions briefly, and further compare their attitudes to my own philosophy. Let’s start with breaking down the philosophy of Socrates. Socrates was put on trial for accusations of corrupting the youth and teaching different gods above and different gods below. He was …show more content…
Both men tackle similar questions and have somewhat similar approaches. But in the end, one remains troubled while the other dies content. Who’s really greater? I myself believe that we choose to be happy! For even in our pursuits, in all of our troubles, we can remain in a state of contentment. Happiness is that middle ground of pain and pleasure. It is the middle ground of seeking and finding. It is the collision of loved and lover. In my life, I ask a lot of questions. My pursuit has been endless. I’ve already read most of Plato’s works as well as those of numerous other philosophers. In fact, like Socrates, I would risk everything for the love and pursuit of truth. But compassion must remain. For without compassion, we will forever remain troubled by our questions and